This week is set to be a busy one for space Launches. The most notable Launch will be on Friday when SpaceX launches its Crew Dragon spacecraft, carrying astronauts from the US, Europe, Russia, and Japan to the International Space Station (ISS). Additionally, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA will be launching their XRISM mission this week.
On Sunday, the Chinese National Space Agency will be launching a Long March 4C Rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. The payload for this launch is unclear, but it is speculated to be the Gaofen 12-04 radar satellite.
On Tuesday, SpaceX will launch their Falcon 9 B5 rocket from Vandenburg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 4. This launch will carry 21 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a low Earth orbit.
Wednesday will see two launches. SpaceX will launch another Falcon 9 B5 rocket, this time from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40. This launch will deploy 22 Starlink v2 Mini satellites, known as Starlink Group 6-11. At the same time, Roscosmos will launch a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to deliver the 85th Progress cargo to the ISS.
Rocket Lab will join the action on Wednesday with their Electron rocket launching from LC-1B in Mahia, New Zealand. The rocket will carry the Acadia 1 satellite for Capella Space, which will be used for Earth imaging with synthetic aperture radar.
The highlight of the week will be on Friday when SpaceX launches their Falcon 9 B5 rocket from Florida’s SpaceX LC-39A. This launch will send the Crew-7 mission, with astronauts from NASA, ESA, JAXA, and Roscosmos, to the ISS as part of NASA’s commercial crew program.
Finally, on Saturday, JAXA and NASA will launch the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) using the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-IIA rocket. This mission aims to perform high-resolution X-ray spectroscopic observations of hot gas plasma wind in galaxies, providing insights into the composition and evolution of celestial objects. JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) will also hitch a ride on this launch to test precision landing technology on the moon.
In summary, this week is packed with launches from various space agencies, including SpaceX, JAXA, NASA, and Roscosmos, deploying satellites and delivering cargo to the ISS while conducting important scientific missions.
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